💡 Our Technical Review in summary
Summary
- Microsoft is transitioning the built-in PDF engine in Microsoft Edge for Business to a new version powered by the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine.
- The new viewer is currently available for testing in Edge Beta (version 136 and later).
- The official rollout to the Stable channel is scheduled for mid-October 2025, at which point it will become the default PDF experience.
- The legacy Microsoft PDF engine is scheduled for retirement in early 2026.
- This update aims to provide high-fidelity document rendering, improved performance, and enhanced security features.
Impact
- User Experience: Users will see an enhanced toolbar and experience faster document loading, smoother scrolling, and more precise text selection.
- Accessibility: The update brings improved support for screen readers and better accessibility for PDF forms.
- Enterprise Features: The Adobe-powered engine supports Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) sensitivity labels, digital signature verification, and viewing XFA PDFs (via IE mode).
- Regional Support: Improved font rendering for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) languages and enhanced color profile support.
- Automatic Transition: Once the General Availability date is reached in October 2025, the viewer will be enabled by default without requiring administrative intervention.
Action Required
- Testing: Deploy Edge Beta (v136+) to a subset of users to validate existing PDF workflows, particularly those involving digital signatures or MIP-protected documents.
- Policy Management: If your organization wishes to opt-in early or manage the transition in the Stable channel, use the
NewPDFReaderEnabledpolicy.- True: Enables the new Adobe-powered viewer.
- False: Reverts to the legacy Microsoft viewer (available until early 2026).
- Documentation: Update internal Help Desk documentation and user guides to reflect the new PDF interface and features.
- Feedback: Report any rendering issues or workflow regressions through standard Microsoft support channels or the Edge feedback tool before the October 2025 deadline.
Microsoft Official Update
Service: N/A
Category: stayInformed
Severity: normal
The Adobe-powered PDF viewer in Microsoft Edge for Business is now available in beta for organizations to test. Organizations can now experience the viewer by default in Edge Beta (starting in version 136) and validate how it works within their PDF workflows. This early testing period helps identify and address any issues before the viewer becomes the default in Edge Stable release in October 2025. We will retire the legacy PDF viewer in early 2026.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 489231.
[When this will happen:]
- The Adobe-powered PDF viewer is now available in beta to test.
- General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-October 2025 and expect to complete by late October 2025.
[How this will affect your organization:]
Before this rollout, organizations have to manually configure a policy to test the new PDF viewer.
After this rollout:
- No policy configuration is needed. The new PDF viewer is enabled by default in Edge Beta (starting in version 136).
- We recommend organizations proactively validate their workflows with the new viewer before October’s Edge Stable release.
- Organizations that already adopted the new PDF viewer using the NewPDFReaderEnabled policy do not need to take additional action and will continue using the updated viewer with ongoing improvements.
Key enhancements include:
- Performance: Faster document load and smoother scrolling
- Accessibility: Improved support for screen readers and form accessibility
- Compatibility: Enhanced color profile support, more precise text selection, and fonts for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages
Exclusive features for organizations:
- View XFA PDFs using IE (Internet Explorer) mode
- Extended support for viewing Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) Protected PDF Files to different sovereignties
- View sensitivity labels for MIP-protected PDFs
- Enhanced digital signature verification in Edge PDF Viewer
In October, the new Adobe-powered PDF viewer will be on by default.
The Adobe-powered PDF viewer in Edge, with the enhanced toolbar at the top of the page:
[What you need to do to prepare:]
- Organizations that have not yet moved to the new PDF viewer should test it in Edge Beta in preparation for the default enablement in October.
- Test all your internal PDF workflows and critical documents in the new PDF viewer.
- Report feedback and issues through the standard Microsoft support channels.
- For organizations ready to fully migrate sooner, the NewPDFReaderEnabledcan be used to enable the new PDF viewer in Edge Stable release today with these settings:
- True: New PDF viewer enabled
- False: Legacy viewer retained
- Default: Current default behavior
- No action is required if your organization is already using the new PDF viewer through policy configuration.
This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout. Review your current configuration to assess the impact on your organization. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation.
Learn more about the PDF reader change:Microsoft Edge and Adobe partner to improve the PDF experience
